BLOG: From The Front Lines With Zinno

I hope that your summer is treating you well! We are pressing on here in searing temperatures at times. We have topped out at 119 degrees several times here, but have yet to break that 120 mark. I’m kind of disappointed! HAHA! I am sure it is coming any day now. It’s kind of depressing that the only thing I have to look forward to is the weather. Makes me feel like a really old man! HA! And I am aware of the heatwave that hit the mid-Atlantic … 1) Stop complaining. I love the heat. 2) It is routinely 110 degrees before 9am here on a daily basis. And 3) enjoy your shorts and flip flops!!!! All this gear sucks! See picture below.

It is also getting “hot” here in terms of danger. We have dealt with a lot of rocket attacks lately. One of them landed in our living area with all of our living trailers. Thankfully no one was hurt because the trailer next to the impact site was empty. The soldier was on leave at the time. We do our best to stay ever vigilant and alert. We do our best to practice all of our drills to keep us safe. Luckily, no one has gotten hurt so far. We will keep our fingers crossed.

We got another visit from the NEW Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta. All I know is, when you put a full-blooded Italian in a position like that, it’s bound to stay excited. It was a great honor to meet him. We chatted briefly and even spoke Italian to each other. I got his coin and a photo with him. I guess that’s the perks of my job.

With August right around the corner, we can start to see things beginning to transition as we work on getting out of here by the end of the year. It really is amazing to think that we will be gone in just a few months! I am just happy to do my part in this historic part of our nation’s history. And it even looks like we may be home sooner than expected and we are all certainly happy about that.

I hope that everyone is enjoying there summer. I miss the little things so much. Just like cookouts and relaxing in the sun. Although I do find some time to sneak away and relax, it just isn’t the same. Thank you to everyone who keeps emailing and staying in touch. You will never know how much it means to me!

Coming home with a “W” …

Zinno

Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, spoke with some of our Soldiers.

I swear, I never heard a dignitary use the words "hell," "damn" and "son-of-a-bitch" more than this guy! Gotta love Italians!

This is the spot where the rocket landed. You can see some of the damage to those large cement T-walls.

You can see the holes where the shrapnel broke through the living trailer.

One Comment

Can’t wait for you to come home. Please be safe for the rest of your stay there. Their will be many celebrations to enjoy when you get home. We are all waiting patiently. Praying for you every minute of every day. Love you very much, Mom

You got a SecDef coin? That should get you some free beers. I would make a cheerleader joke, but never insult a man with a rifle squad behind him. We tried to delay football until you got back, but the damn lawyers fixed it.